BBC
Former Conservative Party treasurer Lord Ashcroft says he is quitting the House of Lords.

Thailand's junta chief said Tuesday he has asked King Bhumibol Adulyadej for permission to end martial law, but added that an executive order retaining sweeping powers for the military would soon replace it. "I have already submitted permission to the king to lift martial law. The king will have to approve whether martial law is lifted," Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha told reporters. "A new order (to replace martial law) will be issued very soon," he added.

USA Today
Proceeds from sales of the new Cards Against Humanity Science Pack will go toward a full-ride scholarship for women seeking undergraduate ST...
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A Tokyo council voted on Tuesday to issue "partnership" certificates to gay couples, the first such recognition of same-sex unions in Japan. Assembly members in Shibuya district -- a business and shopping hub that is home to international firms and embassies -- passed an ordinance that will allow their officials to start giving out the certificate as early as this summer. "I'm happy," said Koyuki Higashi, a gay rights campaigner who held a wedding ceremony with her female partner at Tokyo Disney Resort in 2013. "I hope this movement will be spread across Japan and discussions on same-sex marriages will accelerate," said Higashi, who has been living in Shibuya for four months, adding she and her partner Hiroko Masuhara plan to get a certificate.